A Rookie’s Honest Mistake

Derek Wolfe can be forgiven for thinking the loud fan ovation was for him. He didn’t know Peyton Manning was right behind him.

Derek Wolfe and the defensive linemen head to another station.

As adored as Tim Tebow was by much of the Broncos’ fanbase, he never received a training-camp roar as loud as the one that greeted Peyton Manning on Thursday morning when he was the last quarterback to stride onto the field.

But for a fleeting moment, rookie DL Derek Wolfe thought the ovation was for him.

“When we came out here today, I was right in front of Manning and I didn’t know it,” Wolfe said.

About Andrew Mason

Andrew Mason has covered the NFL since 1999, when he worked as an editor on NFL.com when the site was managed by ESPN.com. He worked six seasons (2002-07) covering the Broncos on their official website and two (2008-09) on the Panthers' site. He began MaxDenver.com in 2010 and now contributes to CBSSports.com, The Sporting News and The New York Times.